METRO WEST DAILY NEWS – The city and several area companies will partner Thursday in an effort to get locals back to work and lower Marlborough’s unemployment rate during its first annual spring job fair.

The city and more than 25 Marlborough-based companies are partnering for the first Marlborough Works! Spring Job Fair that will focus on entry- and mid-level positions in the manufacturing, service, retail and hotel industries, said Meredith Harris, Marlborough Economic Development Corporation executive director.

The MEDC organizes an annual job fair each fall that attracts biotech and life science companies that are often searching for senior-level positions. The spring fair will be geared toward job seekers who recently graduated college, are still studying or have no college experience, said Harris.

“Some of the companies (at the fall job fair) were not finding the entry-level and mid-level talent they were looking for,” Harris said. “It goes to show the companies we’ve brought in have all levels of opportunity.”

The fair will provide good interview experience for young professionals, said Harris.

“It’s good experience to meet face-to-face with these companies,” she said.

The fall job fair typically attracts between 400 and 500 job seekers. Harris is expecting between 200 and 300 for the spring fair because the city’s unemployment rate has declined steadily the past several months. More than 115 people have preregistered, said Harris.

The city’s unemployment rate has decreased by 44 percent since August 2012 thanks to an influx of corporations expanding or moving into the city, including GE Healthcare Life Sciences, TJX and Quest Diagnostics. The city’s rate is 3.3 percent, according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

The job fair will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Courtyard Marriott. Attendees are encouraged to bring their resume and register online in advance. For more information, a full list of employers attending or to register visit www.marlboroughedc.com/springjobfair.